


Primo Primi

by IrisPerea2004



Category: Original Work
Genre: Character(s) of Color, Dystopia, F/M, Gen, Kinda, New Mexico, Original work - Freeform, Other, Robot/Human Relationships, Science Fiction, Worldbuilding
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-01
Updated: 2020-11-06
Packaged: 2021-03-09 03:34:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 1,994
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27328147
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IrisPerea2004/pseuds/IrisPerea2004
Summary: The Primus Project is an initiative to experiment with true Artificial Intelligence. While not a huge priority in terms of Imperial funding, it has been working quietly in the background for decades. When Elias Mbabazi Martínez is brought in, she is introduced to a hard, ruthless side to the otherwise benign government she has always known.
Relationships: Original Character(s)/Original Character(s)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 4





	1. Chapter 1

_The Primus Project; possible personnel replacement for Artificial Intelligence Studies:_

_-Attatched is a file on Elias Mbabazi Martinéz; a female of Hispanic-African descent. Qualifications: Graduated from CIT and LAIT with 96 percent success rate. Certified by the IIT as a competent AI behavioural scientist. Secondary certification in Robotic Engineering._

Elias sprawled in her living room, watching the monsoon lightning storm outside her window. Her clothing was made more for comfort than fashion, and was faintly stained and threadbare.

Her grandfather and great-uncle were unrolling the screen from its position on the ceiling. They joked in and laid bets on the upcoming gladiator fights. Children ran around shrieking with overexcitement.

"Elias," her mother called from the kitchen.

"Coming," Elias replied, getting up and circumventing the cousins and siblings that complicated her route. 

Her mother handed her a pot full of beans and cheese over the kitchen counter. "Serve your little siblings," she said, her bright-black hair starting to stand out in a little halo of frazzled hair and frazzled nerves. "They need to be in bed before the games start."

"Yes Mamá," Elias said obediently, taking the bowl.

Having the house so full of family was a wear on her mother's nerves, but it came with the bonus of extra hands. Her sisters-in-law tended to take over Elias' role as her mother's main helper, letting Elias spend time with her father's family, who she rarely got to see otherwise.

She set the pot on the dining room table and went to go get bowls.

Everyone huddled together in the gigantic living room, watching the pre-games show on the massive screen. Elias snuck a handful of popcorn from the cousin who sat next her and stuffed it into her mouth as the beginning strains of the Empire's anthem began to play. The gladiators filed out onto the field to salute and kneel to the Imperial box as a beautifully trained alto raised her voice to sing.

"Is the Empress actually attending?" she heard Tío Tómas ask.

"Don't know," Auntie Ozabi said, sounding interested.

Elias said nothing. The Empress' illness would indeed be turning around if she could attend the IGL season opening in person. She snitched another handful of popcorn.

The gladiators filed out again, leaving the field empty as the last lyrics of the anthem faded from the air. The crowd surged to their feet, applauding the demure singer.

The face of the announcer filled the screen.

_"And hello to Johannesburg and the world on this fine evening!"_

Elias started zoning out as the announcer blathered blithely on. _Just get to the matches all ready!_

_"Now, I know you tuned in to watch a fight, not listen to me. So; without further ado, I offer you the first one-on-one of the season: Kao Liang versus Kingkiller Jordan!"_

The audience erupted into cheers. Enrique started chanting 'Kingkiller under his breath as the combatants bowed to each other and then flew at each other in a flurry of blunt swords.

Elias grabbed a chip and scooped it into the dip on the coffee table. 

Life didn't get much better than this.


	2. Chapter 2

Elias picked up the discarded chip bags on the couch, crumpling them up and tossing them into the bag on the floor for the refuse. Morning sunlight peeped coyly through the curtains, casting narrow beams of light over her earth-brown skin and threadbare tunic. She was skimming through the news on the huge sheet-screen, wondering if any of her job applications had been accepted.

She heard ponderous footsteps coming down the hallway, and heavysfleshed Grandmama Afiya thundered down the hallway, her long, loose dress making her seem even bigger.

"Elias," she greeted with her characteristic dignity. 

"Grandmama," Elias greeted, scooching over to offer her a place on the couch.

Grandmama Afiya accepted her offer, sitting and resting her chin on her short, strong fingers. Her headscarf was burnt-orange and skillfully wrapped around her long, kinky hair.

Elias felt completely unselfconscious, scrolling through the news front of her maternal great-grandmother. Her family had very few secrets from one another, and at some point everyone had agreed to disagree and moved on. Differing opinions were reconciled as best they could be by both parties.

"Found any work?" her Grandmama asked.

Elias sighed, and turned away from the screen. "Not yet," she sighed, tucking her knees up on the couch. "So much for my 'practical' schooling"

"I wouldn't say that," Afiya reassured. "Just be patient."

Eli fiddled with her braids. "I know, I know," she sighed. Her full mouth turned downwards at the corners. 

Grandmama Afiya scrutinized her great-granddaughter. "How about a significant other?" she teased in an attempt to lighten the mood.

"Grandmama!"

_Private Message to Elias Mbabazi Martínez. Important._

Elias stiffened, interrupting the teasing. Her augmentation chip was occasionally used to pass on official messages and alerts, but it was supposed to be unaccessible by civilian applications. Why would the government be contacting her?

_What the hell-- I didn't do anything!_

"What is it, honey?" Grandmama Afiya asked.

_Shit, shit, shit what do I-- I have to open it._

"N-nothing. Uh, listen, I gotta go shower before everyone gets up."

She sprinted to the bathroom and locked herself in, legs shaking, and collapsed on the toilet.

"Read message," she said aloud. The vibrations passed from her throat through her skull, to the tiny microphone embedded in the chip, and it obeyed.

_"To María Elias Afiya Mbabazi Martínez:_

__

_"Given your qualifications and current state of unemployment, you are hereby offered a position on the Primus project._

Elias barely payed attention to the rest of the letter. Her breath rushed out in a relieved whoosh.

She wasn't in trouble, it wasn't a hack, she was fine, life was fine. She was even getting a job. It took all her willpower not to leap into the air and whoop for joy and concentrate on the letter again.

_"Naturally, an interview will be requiered before you are officially hired. On Tuesday, November--"_

Tuesday. Two days.

_"Please be puntual. We look forward to meeting you._

_Signed, Henri B. Wallace._

Elias sat with her head in her hands, breathing deeply through her nose.

"YEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!"


	3. Chapter 3

Elias' nerves were running very high. In the space of two hours she had showered, dressed and proceeded to shriek at the mess in the room she was sharing with her cousins and flew into a panicked cleaning before her virtual interview was supposed to start as a way to deal with nerves.

At three minutes 'til the appointment, she donned the virtual reality headgear and waited, breathing deeply through her nose before she finally logged into the chatroom.

_Calm down. It's just a job interview, it isn't the end of the world._

The chatroom was a windowless, doorless room paneled in white, with an austere desk and chairs facing over it. Feeling very nervous, Elias sat down in the near chair, waiting for whoever this Primus Project deigned to send to her.

"Ave."

She tried very, very, very hard not to startle, and failed miserably. In the seat across from her sat the representation of a tall, pale-skinned man with greying hair, though his face seemed somehow ageless. His eyes were very dark and his face was as sharp and cold as carven ice.

"So, Martinez. Or do you prefer Mbabazi?"

"Martinez."

"Ah." He folded his hands together over the austere whiteness of the desk. "Well then, Martinez, we've run an extensive background check on you, and determined that you are an excellent fit for the position currently open." He paused, clearly waiting for her to say something.

"Oh. Okay." Inwardly, Elias cringed at her lack of conversational skills.

He raised a pale eyebrow, but did not comment. "The pay will be forty-eight thousand centarii a year. Room and board will be provided, though you will be free to come and go as you please. Personal and familial health issues will be looked after by the government specialists." His voice was dry, as if he was reading off these benefits by heart. "The project, is, of course, confidential, so you are forbidden from discussing what you might learn, under threat of Imperial prosecution."

_Oh my God._

"Well," she said, weighing her response. "Well, I... It's a very generous offer."

"Yes, it is," he says, studying her carefully. "It is a unique offer, and not one you are likely to receive twice."

She nibbled on her tongue, studying him. "What exactly will I be doing?" she asked. 

"Confidential information again, I'm afraid," he sighed. "But I urge you to think about what exactly you studied."

_So robots. Secret government robots._

The temptation was extreme. Artificial Intelligence had been her pet passion since she was young, and the promise of being able to play around with robots, especially with governmental funding, was like the idea of a dream promising to come true, even though she knew, realistically, that she would be a grunt, at least at first. She had no experience, nothing save for ambition and the institute certificates.

"Why are you hiring _me_?" she asked. "I have no prior occupation experience."

"That is precisely why you are being considered," he said smoothly. "You have not had time to develop the prejudices that dog the rest of us."

Elias chewed pensively on her lip. "How long do I have to consider this?"

"The remainder of this interview."

"Oh." _Deep breath._ "I'll take it."

"Oh?" The man quirked an eyebrow and Elias flushed.

"I mean if I am selected."

Now the man smiled. "Oh, I'm sure you will," he said as he rose, signalling the end of the interview. "It _may_ be a little early, but allow me to welcome you to Team Primus. I'm sure that I'll see you again."

The chatroom blinked out, replaced with the plain text: _**Disconnected by Host.**_


	4. Chapter 4

Elias waited as patiently as she could force herself to. She tried to lose herself in household chores and the gladiatoral matches that streamed every night. The house often smelled of chile and anise and boiling-over beans as she vented her stress with cooking, and cooking a lot.

Grandmaría occasionally hobbled through the kitchen, a turquoise-colored shawl around her thin, bony shoulders. She muttered complaints or compliments through a toothless mouth, or even, when something especially pleased her, she smiled until her crow-dark, crow-bright eyes disappeared in a sea of nut-brown wrinkles. 

Elias enjoyed her great-great-grandmother's company in the kitchen, and that, more than anything, took her mind off of her imminent acceptance or refusal.

The message came as Elias made an enormous pot of atole under her grandmother's watchful and instructive eyes. Grandmaría saw her stiffen and a slow grin spread across her face.

When Elias answered her mumbled question, a snowy white eyebrow went up, and asked when Elias would tell the rest of her family. More to the point, whether breakfast would be served before or after.

A muted sigh of apprehension went up through the assembled audience in the living room as Elias marched in with a stiff back and her cheeks so red it showed even through her dark skin, to stand in front of her asembled grandparents, great-grandparents, aunts and uncles and cousins of various generations, parents and siblings.

Everyone watched as she opened her mouth, swallowed, and stood there, her mouth half-open and color steadily rising. The tension in the room stretched until a cousin finally hollered: "What, are you pregnant or something?"

The tension hissed out of the air as several people laughed, even Elias, though nervous and embarrassed tears started pricking her eyes. She gulped, and tried again.

"I have been offered a job here in Los Alamos," she said, her voice wobbling. "By the Labs."

"¡Santa Madre de Díos!" her Tía Rosaliná exclaimed, throwing her hands up into the air. Everyone began to talk at once.

Her mother gently pressured Elias into a chair, and offered her a glass of cold water so she could hide her face.


End file.
